Aidan Melograna-Wilson

It’s often said that basketball is a game of runs. That was definitely the case on Tuesday in West Lawn. Wilson held off Manheim Township 60-53 to improve to (4-0). The Bulldogs raced out to a 14-4 advantage. Seamus Breslin, who only scored four points in the first three games combined, had six points in the opening quarter. The 6’ senior guard finished with a career-high 13 points. “He’s the biggest talker in the gym, huge energy guy. He knows how to win,” said Aidan Melograna. Breslin drilled a 3-pointer from the left corner early in the second quarter for a 21-6 advantage. The (1-5) Blue Streaks answered with a 12-3 spurt. Caden Young connected from long distance to pull Manheim Township within 26-21 at halftime. Wilson erupted in the third period. The Bulldogs scored the first 14 points to go up 40-21. Melograna hit back-to-back triples and jammed eight of his game-high 19 points into that quarter. The 6’3 senior forward was responsible for four of Wilson’s seven treys. “Those [runs] show glimpses of what we can be as a team, but we need to be able to sustain that for four quarters,” he noted. The Blue Streaks trailed 49-35 entering the final period. They didn’t go away quietly. Young’s three-point play made it 58-53 with just over a minute remaining. After a turnover by the Bulldogs, Will King’s 3-pointer spun out with 45 seconds left. Ofure Odiale converted a layup on the ensuing possession to expand the lead to seven points. The 6’5 senior chipped in with nine points. Cleveland Harding added 14 points. The 5’10 guard pulled down 11 rebounds. “He is so athletic. He can rise above people. He’ll always find a way to put the ball in the hoop,” emphasized Melograna. Wilson went 13-of-24 from the free throw line, while Manheim Township was 6-8. Young and Bennett Parmer scored 14 points apiece. Sebastian Henson provided 11 points before fouling out with 1:09 to go. Henson returned to the lineup after missing Saturday’s 52-39 loss to Gov. Mifflin due to an illness. Henson, Young, and Parmer each average between 11-and-14 points. All three are juniors. Wilson remains undefeated despite not having all-division pick Cam Jones. The senior point guard is dealing with a lingering injury from football season. Jones averaged a team-high 12 points a season ago. Melograna replied, “Not having him has been tough, but we have guys step up. Once Cam comes back, it will be great for us.” Melograna has gone from 4.9 points per game as a junior to 17.5 this year. The Arcadia commit has knocked down 17 shots from beyond the arc. He told me that he spent a lot of time this offseason working on going to the basket. Melograna poured in a career-high 20 points last Friday at Easton. We also discussed his favorite teachers and sports movies.